


i'll be your cheerleader

by sunflowersinthesun



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Cheerleaders, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Karl Jacobs Needs a Hug, M/M, Multi, houseparties, pompoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29229234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflowersinthesun/pseuds/sunflowersinthesun
Summary: To put it simply, Karl was… ordinary. Sure, he had a friend group who laughed at his stupid jokes, and a great family who loved him unconditionally. But he was still just Karl Jacobs. Another kid attending the dreaded American high school; hidden in the halls among scary football players, obnoxious smartasses, and the other kids who were struggling to make it through the day.That was, until- he got the life he never wanted or asked for, but what he desperately needed.......and all because of a pair of pompoms.
Relationships: Antfrost/VelvetIsCake (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Minx | JustAMinx/Niki | Nihachu
Comments: 62
Kudos: 238





	1. ideas, shannigans, and groans

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever mcyt fic! woohoo! pls enjoy! 
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: if any of the smp members ever change their mind about shipping/fics/e.t.c this will be taken down immediately! thanks! 
> 
> idk of anything else to say hehe
> 
> (not me editing this because i found out my dates dont add up...)

By the time Friday rolled around, every single person was exhausted from the busy school week. Karl dodged the many kids filling the halls of Gerbnam’l High School, and after finally reaching his locker (located conveniently on the other side of the building from his last period classroom), took a sigh of relief. He heard loud footsteps coming up behind him, and turned around to be met by Alex, his best friend and platonic soulmate.  
“Karllllllosssss” Alex exclaimed dramatically, slamming himself into Karl’s locker. Karl decided to ignore him for now, shoving his books away. Alex quickly missed the attention and grabbed Karl by his wrist, flipping him to meet him in the face.  
“You going to the football game tonight?”  
“Oh! Yes! How could I forget how much I enjoy screaming crowds and awful concession stand crap?” Karl peered at him sarcastically. Alex rolled his eyes, and leaned on the lockers.  
“So I’m gonna take that as a yes.” Alex smiled. Karl slammed his locker shut, walking away. Alex hurried to catch up, running through people and mumbling a quick ‘Scuse me’, while people groaned in annoyance, wanting to get out of the hellhole as quick as possible.  
“That means no nimrod” Karl patted Alex on the shoulder, and tried to steer clear of people’s paths.  
“When will you get over the situation from-”  
“Alex! Karl!” They both turned around to see George bounding towards them, holding out a flyer in his hand. He ran as though there was no one in his way, shoving through groups of moody highschoolers without a blink, finally reaching the two.  
“George! Jesus! Common courtesy- did your parents never teach you manners? Apologize to the poor people you just ran over for God’s sake.” Alex scolded. George stuck his tongue out and caught his breath, shoving his heavy backpack into Alex’s clutch. Alex let out a huff of annoyance but kept his mouth shut.  
“So. I’m a genius!” George proclaimed, bouncing with each step. Karl chuckled.  
“That’s questionable.” Alex sighed.  
“Shut it,” George slapped him. “Karl, you know how we wanted to try something new for junior year?”  
“Mhm.” Karl nodded, remembering this conversation. Both George and Karl hadn’t done something new since freshman year and both wanted to expand their interests.  
“Well!” George shoved the flyer into Karl’s hands.  
_Cheerleading Tryouts_  
_Come on out and show your talents! Tryouts will consist over 2 days, starting on August 28rd, and a final squad list coming out the 30th . Please fill out the form below and turn that in along with other mandatory forms at your tryout! See you Pogs there! Let the cheer season begin!_  
Karl finished reading the full paper which consisted of too many forms for him to count and many safety rules and cautions. And to top it all off- tryouts were only a week away.  
“George…” Karl said wearily.  
“Let me see!” Alex snatched the paper out of Karl’s grasp and scanned through it, breaking out in laughter by the end.  
“You- want us? To be- cheerleaders?” He could barely get the last word out before hacking up a storm. George eyed him before turning to Karl again.  
“Karl you know we all have stunt training! I literally used to be a gymnast! And you’re super flexible! And Alex- well… he’s loud! And proud!” George exclaimed. Karl eyed him suspiciously before glancing at the paper. Alex looked at him dumbfounded.  
“You’re not actually- considering this? Right Karl?” Alex squinted.  
“Well-”  
“ABSOLUTELY NOT! I REFUSE to shake pompons for lame ass football players when we’ve never even gone to states.” Alex argued.  
“Alex. Face it. Nobody knows us. How great would it look on college applications if we actually did something instead of sitting around talking about women with a puny little freshman gremlin?” George turned to Karl.  
“You’re the deciding factor, Karl.” George smiled.Alex wide-eyed him, head shaking frantically, while George looked like some creepy villain with how hard he was smiling.  
“What could it hurt? Right?” Karl chuckled. Alex groaned while George squealed, pulling them both into a group hug.  
“You guys won’t regret this! Junior year here we come!”


	2. tryouts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george, karl, and alex try out for the cheerleading squad.... and get a glimpse at the high school football team while they're at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont think you guys understand how much this support means. i cant believe so many people are as excited for this as i am, and i truly appreciate this the absolute most!!  
> enjoy!

Let’s get one thing straight. Practice doesn't make perfect. Or at least- it didn’t seem like it to Karl. No matter how hard he tried, Karl could NOT get his front hurdler jump down. Every time he went up, he came down with an awful smack to the ground. To make matters worse, it was Thursday the 27th, and tryouts were tomorrow. As he tried desperately to jump and successfully do the right positioning and failed miserably, hours seemed to pass every time Karl got back up after being sprawled out on the ground in pain. Alex wasn’t having that much luck either, as he was still working on his herkie jump. At least Karl had a failing buddy who would end up on the ground beside him every jump. As for George, if this was a war- he would be winning. Not only that, but somehow after practicing for 3+ hours a day, he still had pep inside of him. And Karl wanted to throw up everytime they shouted a stupid chant that he always mixed up the words in.

“I give up.” Karl moaned, slowly putting all his weight on his arm as he got up from his past state as a disheveled mess on the floor. “You’ve said that 14 times today alone, bud.” George glanced up from his phone. Karl silently shouted at the boy, but let it go externally. “Any luck Al-”

 **BANG**!

“I’m gonna take that as a no.” Karl ran his hand through his hair as he looked at Alex who was not even making an effort to get up. Something about seeing Alex on the ground, sweaty and extremely exhausted, gave Karl the inspiration to keep trying. Alex finally got up and looked up at Karl, who gave him the mental pep talk with a nod of his head. _We got this._ Alex nodded back and they burst out in the chant, clapping their handstand cheering,

“S-P-I-R-I-T, spirit!

Hey, let us hear it!

Gonna high gear it!

'Cause we've got spirit!” And as they shouted the last line, they both went up in the air. Karl’s mind was just on each step of the jump. _Straighten your right leg and raise it high. Bend the left leg behind you and point your toe. Raise the arms in a high V._ Before Karl had even registered what happened, he was on the ground, but this time, his feet were on the ground, supporting his body which was-

“HOLY SHIT I DID IT!” Karl screamed, jumping in the air.

“KARL!” Alex shouted even though he was beside him. And sure enough- he was standing on both two feet as well. George leapt up from where he was leaning against the wall and brought them into a crushing hug.

“We’re actually gonna be cheerleaders!!” George screamed, smiling widely.

“Let’s just hope we can actually pull this off tomorrow.” Alex let out, rubbing his eyes. “

And with that- I think we should call it a night.” Karl chuckled warmly. He glanced at Alex.

“You gonna be okay driving?” Karl asked. Alex nodded, assuring him.

Karl hugged the two goodbye before getting in his car and driving home. More than anything now, Karl wanted to prove to himself what he was capable of. He might’ve been weary at first, but now, he knew how much he wanted it. And he would stop at nothing to prove that he deserved a spot on the team.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl had the healthiest breakfast he’d ever had. In fact, he even googled “A good breakfast to have before cheerleading tryouts.” To his surprise, there were many options, so he settled on oatmeal, a banana, and a bagel with peanut butter. He also poured himself a glass of orange juice because what could a little Vitamin C hurt? Going into school,he felt more energized than ever. And sure, maybe it was because for the first time ever, he actually accepted an iced coffee from George, but MAYBE it was just his good feeling about today. At lunch, Karl found out about a bunch of people who were trying out for cheer and football. There was already an obvious “sports” table in the cafeteria, but gossip was easy to hear when you sat with Tommy- speaking of whom- was trying out for the football team. He tried to force Tubbo to tryout with him, but Tubbo’s excuse was,

“I’m going to die.” So….. that was a no. However, Tubbo was a tiny freshman who happened to be good at jumping and flipping so he would be trying out for the cheer squad. A few others at Karl’s table were trying out, like Ranboo, Eret, and Niki. Niki had the most experience, and had been a varsity cheerleader since Freshman year. Wilbur was on the soccer team and thought football was for “sweaty arseholes who fail every class they take”. As they got to chatting about tryouts, Karl couldn;t help but glance at that table. The table where Karl’s future could lie, where he could be sitting on Monday. And his seat at that table was determined by how he did over the course of the next 3 days. But he was prepared and determined. By the time the last bell rang, Karl had no choice in backing out because as soon as he exited the classroom, George grabbed him and started running down the halls with him. George was practically bouncing in each stride he took, while Karl felt like he was going to gag. When they reached the auditorium, Alex was there talking among the others trying out. When Karl finally got the chance to look up at everyone, he felt terrified. That was a whole lot more than Karl expected to show up. And half of them were already on the ground in a split, or practicing their jumps flawlessly. Karl’s mouth hung agape as he regretted ever saying yes to this. George felt his nervousness, and squeezed his hand.

“You got this, K.” George smiled, pulling him towards the locker room.

“Oh my god, why does it smell like this-” Karl coughed, covering his mouth with his shirt. The scent was unbearable, and Karl’s asthma was not having it.

“Football tryouts are today as well.” George said nonchalantly, as he started quickly changing into more flexible clothing.

“Wait- so are they going to-?” Kale started, feeling his head start to spin. This was not good. Not only was Karl already nervous with the amount of competition they had, the whole football team would be watching- laughing at his weak attempts to even climb the social pyramid.

“Hey, hey, hey. Calm down.” George put his hand on Karl’s shoulder, “They’re practicing out on the field. We won’t be going out there until tomorrow.” Karl smiled, relaxing a bit, before changing and heading out into the gym with George. Alex jogged over to them, looking even more nervous than Karl was.

“You ready?” Alex asked, laughing a bit.

“Guess we’ll never know until we try.” George shrugged, while Karl nodded along.

“Let’s do this then.” And the three walked into a room of cheers, squeaky shoes, and claps. The three had about 10 minutes to stretch and warm up before the coach called them all over.

“Hi everyone! Thank you so much for coming out. I’m Coach Kristen and I’m so excited to be starting this cheer season with you all!” A bunch of people started cheering and smiling like crazy at each other, which meant that all these people knew each other. Even better for Karl’s sake.

“Today is going to consist of group exercises to get to know each other, and then we’re going to move on to learning the dance which you will present tomorrow in pairs.” Coach Kristen led them over to the middle of the gym where everyone started spreading out in the circle, so Karl followed suit, luckily getting between Alex and Tubbo. Karl prayed that this would be nothing like theater, which he got stuck into 8th grade year, and it traumatized him. He was not good at thinking on the spot, giving information about himself, or acting super comfortable with people he first meets. Which he understands, are pretty basic skills you should have when you're a 16 year old high school boy, but unfortunately not for Karl.

“So we’re going to go around the circle, and let’s give our names, why we love to cheer, and our favorite ice cream flavor.” _Okay so it’s exactly like theater_ , Karl thought, mentally slapping himself and trying to think of answers. Before he could even process anyone’s information, Tubbo was nudging him that it was his turn to go. He looked up from where he was basically cradling his head to see too many eyes to count staring at him blankly.

“Oh..um. I’m Karl- Jacobs. I uh.. love to cheer because I love to support people, and my favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio.” Karl said relatively loud, only enough so that everybody could somewhat hear him. He decided to ignore the rude glances people threw his way when he said his favorite flavor of ice cream was pistachio, thinking that nobody could be petty enough to hate him for liking a nut. The rest went by quickly, and before Karl knew it, he was learning a dance, which he actually found quite fun. He had his own method for learning it, and it was working well. Before he knew it, they were being let out, and the first day of tryouts were over. _And without any spotting of the football players, thank god,_ Karl mentally thanked whoever was watching over him. But this was the easy part. It’s just going to get harder.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Karl finally got himself out of bed, he wished he didn’t. His whole body felt like a sack of potatoes. He was sore everywhere and felt like he was carrying anvils on his shoulders. Even a steamy shower didn’t work. He called Alex, and to no avail, found out he was dealing with the same exact thing. They called George who told them to stretch it out, which was a lot easier to say- then do. Every time Karl tried to bend his leg, it felt like it was on fire. But eventually, he felt a tad bit better, and headed to the second day of tryouts. Coach Kristen told them that they would be finishing up learning the dance, which Karl thankfully practiced last night, and would be showing their skills off. He also was able to find out how many people would be chosen. About 14 would be chosen, 2 of which being alternates. And there were 27 people trying out. Luckily Karl was not the worst one there, he knew that. He wasn’t tripping over his feet every 2 seconds and somehow finding a way to mess up every step of the dance. Karl found out that they would be going out 2 at a time to the field and performing the routines they were supposed to learn, showing each jump- and all in front of the football players who were currently trying out. People were going out in the order in which they signed up, which meant for sure Karl was either going with George or Alex. When the time came for Karl to go out, he found out George was coming with him. Karl tried not to show his disappointment in this, because he knew how happy George was. Karl knew that going out with George would make him look 10x worse, and he was not nearly as prepared as George.

“Hi, George. Karl. We’re going to start with the-”

“INCOMINGGGGG” A voice shouted from behind them. Karl dropped to the ground, covering his face, and waited for it to be over. He did not want to be smashed by a huge football player when he was supposed to be jumping through the air. He heard a “Ponk, you idiot!” Then George tapped him, signaling that it was okay to get up. He grabbed Karl’s hand pulling him up.

“Heh, thanks Geo-” Karl’s eyes widened at the figure who was clearly not his best friend.

“Who- who are you? Karl backed away. The man put his arms up.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m Nick, but most people call me Sapnap.” Karl was about to get angry, but couldn’t because as he studied Sapnap's face, he became entranced. He snapped himself out looking to where George was talking to a taller man with blonde hair. George’s face was flushed red, and Karl couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“So you’re trying out for the cheer squad?” Sapnap asked, breaking Karl out of his thoughts.

“Uh. Yeah. Wanted to try out something new.” Karl smiled.

“Well you seem like you’d make a great additi-”

“Sapnap! Dream! Stop flirting with the poor guys and get your asses over here!” Ponk, the one who threw the football towards them, yelled.

“See ya around, cutie” Sapnap winked as he ran off, shoving his helmet back on, and laughing with the rest of the guys.

“YOU GOT THIS BIG MAN!” He heard Tommy yell, and quietly thanked him by sending him a smile. But enough about football. Karl was here to cheer. He would ask George later about his own encounter, but they both had to prove their spots on the team. George counted for them to start, and they launched into the cheer,

“Don't wait.

Don't hesitate,

For the battle has just begun.

Intimidate and dominate,

For the Pogs are number 1!”

They ended with a toe touch jump which went successfully, but now it was time to put the real practice to the test. The coach started calling out jumps and they both did them. By the time they got to the front hurdler, Kale was sweating bullets. He was terrified. But he got into position and as George clapped, Karl swung his legs up in the air, put a smile on his face, and came down with a satisfying land. George ran over and squeezed him whispering “You did it” a thousand times in his ear. Now that the hard part was done, the two would be performing the dance. The music started up, and Karl bounced in every movement he made, smiling so hard his mouth was numb. They finished, and Karl had never felt more proud of himself. Even if they didn’t get in, he was glad he tried.

“That was amazing you two. Great work. You can pack up your things, and the list will be coming out tomorrow, bright and early. Thanks for your amazing effort.” Coach Kristen smiled. The two bounded off towards the locker room, giving Alex a good luck before they left, and giggled as soon as the door closed.

“You were AMAZING Karl!!!” George squealed.

“Oh come on. YOU made me look awful by how well you did!” Karl complimented. “So. Who was that you were talking to after we almost got hit by a flying football?” Kale smirked, and saw George redden up.

“I could ask you the same question.” Now it was Karl’s turn to burn up, quickly turning away to put his regular clothes back on. After a moment of silence, George broke it saying,

“If you must know, that’s Dream. He’s one of the coaches favorites. He’s like a legend around the school. I was surprised my middle school crush actually wanted to talk to me after all these years.” George chuckled.

“Why wouldn’t he? You’re amazing.” Karl told him.

“And?”

“And what?” Karl turned to face George.

“Who were YOU talking to, Mr. ‘I can’t talk to cute boys.’” George smiled.

“That was Sapnap. We didn’t have much time to talk, but he seems pretty close with Dream.”

“Well yeah. They’re like a dynamic duo. Do you not keep up with what Tommy says at all?”

“I’ve learned to block him out when he starts getting hyper.” As Karl finished, Alex came running into the room.

“I DID THE JUMP!” The three of them jumped around together.

“For the record, even if we don’t get in, this was fun.” Karl said, earning a nod from the two.

“We’re gonna get in.” And Karl left it at that.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl was in no way lucky. Quite the opposite actually. So when he picked up his phone the next morning after missing 3 calls from both Alex and George, he thought something terrible had gone wrong. Until the moment he put the phone up to his ear, said “Hello?”, and heard George screaming,

“WE GOT IN YOU IDIOT!”

Little did Karl know how much his life was about to drastically change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can u guys tell i don’t know anything about cheerleading lmao


	3. house parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> karl attends his first real party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for ur continued support on this story!!  
> much love <3333
> 
> tw// mentions of drinking

“WE GOT IN YOU IDIOT!” 

Karl layed in his bed, mouth agape for a solid 2 minutes before Alex finally broke him out of his shock.

“Karl?”   
“We got in?” Karl asked. He could practically  _ hear _ George’s eyeroll from the phone.

“Yes, now will you open your phone please?” Karl hadn’t even noticed the hundreds of texts that were flooding in- some from random numbers he didn’t even know, and some from old friends congratulating him. 

“The Group Chat for Cheerleaders.” Karl read off his screen, “They couldn’t have come up with a better name?”   
“They’re cheerleaders, Karl, not brainiacs.” George reminded.    
“Why am I getting a bunch of Instagram follow requests?” Karl questioned, opening up the social media app he barely used.

“Because you’re a- what does he not understand about this?” Alex groaned.

“Karl Jacobs. You climbed the social ladder and are now , dare I say it? Popular. People are going to smile at you. They’re going to say hi to you in the halls.” George said. Karl let out a quick laugh before clicking the ‘Accept’ button on every follow request. He kept scrolling through until a specific name popped up.

“Sapnap has Instagram?” Karl asked out loud,immediately regretting it.

“WHO IS SAPCRAP?!?” Alex shouted, causing Karl to recoil away from his phone.

“S-A-P-N-A-P. And don’t worry about it Alex,” George started, hearing a huff of disapproval from Alex before continuing, “Did you see the invite, Karl?”   
“To what?” George sighed through gritted teeth before answering simply,

“Scroll to the very top of the messages in the group chat.” 

Which Karl did, in the span of 2 minutes after scrolling through too many emojis for his liking. Finally a text at the top from God knows who read

“So there’s a huge party to welcome all the new football players and cheerleaders and it’s happening at Ponk’s this year. Here’s the address: 23IDontGIveTwoShits Blv, East Corner. Party starts at 6!”   
Karl blanked. Well at least he knew the host of the party. Well- sort of.He threw a ball at Karl’s head but the same difference. But….  _ a party _ . That he was invited to. He hadn’t been invited to a party since freshman year when Tammy Clenes threw a birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese and one of the animatronics got into a fight with her dad. Karl shuddered at the thought.  _ New year, new memories.  _ It was time for a new start, he decided, and quickly typed out who he was and that he would be there at 6. Immediately, he began overthinking every decision. He said a goodbye to George and Alex and hopped out of his bed. He threw everything out of the closet and looked for a good 5 minutes before deciding that every shirt he owned looked the same. But if there was one thing Karl hated- it was shopping. So he decided to keep it simple. A nice black button up with a belt and black jeans. He really didn’t need to show up to his first party looking like a clown. As hours ticked on, he got increasingly more nervous. Finally at 5, he put himself together, and got out the door by 5:30. The whole car ride felt like he was driving to his execution.  _ This is supposed to be fun, Karl. Stop overthinking, Karl _ . But who was he kidding? He didn’t belong in this atmosphere. It would be better if he turned around now and spared himself the embarrassment. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get his hands to turn that stupid steering wheel.    
“UHG” Karl smacked his hands down on the dashboard.  _ It’s fine. I’m fine. Nobody’s looking at the crazy person in the car having a mental breakdown.  _ Karl realized it was too late when he could hear the music down the street. He spent 10 minutes contemplating going in or not, tapping the steering wheel- when someone tapped on his car window. Assuming it was George or Alex, he opened it up to see neither of the two.

“Sapnap! Hiya!” Karl did an awkward wave before regretfully putting his hand in his lap.

“The party happening in here or there?” Sapnap said pointing between the house and the car.

“I dunno, I’m jamming out pretty hard right now.” Karl chuckled.  _ Idiot. Shut up. _ But surprisingly, Sapnap offered a comforting smile.

“They don’t bite y’know?” Sapnap comforted.

“Oh I know, I just…” Karl trailed off, turning his head towards the opposite way.

“You just what?” Sapnap asked.   
“I’ve never been to a party before!” Karl blurted out before he could stop himself immediately flushing beet red. Karl looked away before he could witness Sapnap start laughing at him.    
“That’s it?” He heard, and immediately snapped his head back to Sapnap.

“W-what?” He sputtered.

“I said,” Sapnap started, “That’s it?”   
“Um yeah I guess so.” Sapnap gave him a wide smile.

“Okay then.” And before Karl could protest, Sapnap shoved his hand inside the open car window and opened the car door from the inside, and dragged Karl out.    
“Nonono Sapnap-”

“Hey! Hey! You’re gonna be fine. Stick by me and you’ll be great.” Sapnap advised. And before he knew it, Karl was entering the lion's den. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say the least, it was loud. The blaring speakers gave Karl a migraine, and the flashing lights were too much for his vision. But Sapnap kept a hold on his arm and led him through Ponk’s house, which was surprisingly huge. Eventually, he saw George talking to Dream and Alex drinking from a solo cup, so he waltzed over to where he was and pinched Alex from behind.

“You ASSH- Oh, hey Karl!” Alex switched up. 

“ITS REALLY LOUD IN HERE!” Karl shouted back.

“THAT'S KIND OF THE POINT!” Alex replied with the same enthusiasm. About 30 minutes in, Ponk, Karl guessed that's who it was considering how everyone shut up and how he walked around like he literally lived in the house, announced that all the new cheerleaders and that an equal amount of football players needed to come sit in the main room in a circle. As Karl entered with Alex, George, Dream, and Sapnap, he saw an empty bottle sitting in the middle of the floor. Thinking that it was recyclable, Karl went to go grab it before Sapnap realized what he was doing an laid a hand on Karl’s shoulder. 

“Not trash, cutie.” Sapnap chuckled, guiding Karl to sit near some other people before taking a seat on the opposite side of the circle. Karl recognized the people he was sitting next to as Ant and Alyssa, both of whom were friendly. Everyone quieted down, and Ponk immediately started the game by leaning forward and spinning the bottle in the center. Karl was super confused so he asked Ant who told him

“You’ll catch on quick. Trust me.” So Karl watched. Then he realized. Then he wanted to run. So this was Spin the Bottle. By the time Karl even half registered the game, he saw George lean forward to spin. As it slowed, it came slowly towards Dream, who was sitting a few people away to the left of Karl. He watched at Dream and George’s face slowly reddened, looking from their laps to each other and back down again. Karl looked over at Alex who was drunk off his mind by this point and was having a kick out of this. The two awkwardly scooted forward from their spots and met in the middle. Karl saw Dream murmur something to George, and George nodding his head. A list of the things Karl didn’t sign up for was to see his best friend make out with a guy. According to the rules, the kiss only had to last 10 seconds, but this whole arrangement went on for about a minute before Ponk bonked them both and laughed saying,

“Get a room. There’s multiple to choose from.” Before Karl could ask George what was going on, the two were off. Karl sat there dazed for a few minutes as more people spun the bottle. A guy named Schlatt landed on Alex who was too drunk to comprehend the kiss. Then, it was over and it was the next person’s turn. Karl finally took a good look around the circle to realize Sapnap was the next to go, and as Sapnap leaned forward and spun the bottle with ease, Karl couldn’t help but notice certain features of his face that stood out. Karl was in between watching the bottle and Sapnap when the bottle came dangerously close to Karl’s end. Right as the bottle was about to stop on Alyssa, it flipped over one more time to point directly at Karl’s feet. Karl could feel his face heating up, but didn’t want people to judge him by not playing the game. So he scooted forward and gave a slight smile to Sapnap who offered one back. 

“Just stop if you’re uncomfortable.” Sapnap assured him, which actually just made Karl want to kiss him more. Before Karl could tell him to just do it, Sapnap had already slid his fingers behind Karl’s neck and pressed his lips against Karl’s. Karl’s immediate reaction was to freeze, but slowly found rhythm against Sapnap’s mouth. Their lips slotted together with ease, and it was almost like their lips were made to kiss each other’s. In Karl’s opinion, the kiss went way too fast. When Sapnap pulled away, Karl was on Cloud 9. Sure it wasn’t his first kiss, but he would definitely call it the best kiss.

“Are you ready to leave?” Sapnap whispered, seeing as Karl had now realized everyone had watched him in pure ecstasy and innocence for 10 seconds. Karl nodded his head violently, and Sapnap told Ponk he was going to head out. Karl thanked Ponk for the party, and waved awkwardly goodbye to the now much smaller circle. He gave Alex a look of concern, but he knew Alex could hold his alcohol. Alex smiled back at him, gave him a thumbs up, and Karl was ready to head out. Sapnap and Karl shuffled outside in the now freezing night. 

“So are you going to sit with us tomorrow?” Karl hadn’t even thought about that. The table. 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude-”   
“Stop that.” Sapnap said, and Karl looked up alarmed.

“What?”   
“Stop thinking you’re a burden. You’re not. You deserve to be here. On the team.” Sapnap told him. Karl bopped his head to the side, nodding.

“Thanks. For everything.” Karl almost mentioned the kiss but decided against it. It was a game. Karl started heading back to his car when Sapnap quietly shouted at him,

“Hey Karl?” Karl looked back at Sapnap, who was now standing in the middle of the driveway.

“Yeah?” 

“Welcome to the team.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u guys enjoyed!!  
> ill try to update on a regular schedule, but with school, it might get a little difficult at times.  
> also writer's block is very rude.  
> see u on the flippity flip :)


	4. new beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “sometimes we can only find our true direction when we let the wind of change carry us.”  
> -mimi novic

Karl’s Monday was not off to a great start. He barely slept all night, nerves wrecking him for what was going to happen today- and the one time he did sleep, he overslept past his alarm. He basically stumbled out the door still shoving his shoes on just to look up and see a car already parked out front. Karl checked his phone to see a few messages from George.

George: Be outside by 7:30

George: We have a ride ;)    
  


Karl checked his phone and let out a sigh of relief seeing as it was only 7:28. Karl’s stomach grumbled in protest at the rushed morning, but he ignored it, walking up to the car and opening the door. He looked up front to see Dream driving, Sapnap in the passenger’s seat, and George across from Karl in the back.

“C'mon in, Karl.” Dream smiled. Karl set his bag down and shot a terrified look to George. He quickly grabbed his phone and started typing aggressively.

Karl: WHY DID U NOT TELL ME THEY WERE PICKING US UP?!??   
George: well I was going to, but you came out later than i thought u would.

Karl: i was literally out there before the time??

George: the normal karl would’ve been out there at 7:20.    
Karl shot him a death glare.

Karl: i slept through my alarm.

George let out a small chuckle, earning a look back from Dream. 

Karl: i stg next time just-

“Hey Karl.” Karl immediately looked up to see Sapnap holding up a Dunkin Donuts bag and an iced coffee. Karl brightened up and quickly snatched the bag, thanking him repeatedly before digging in.

“Mm- wait.” Karl finished off the donut. “How do you know my coffee order?”   
“You have the same drink every Wednesday in French first period.” Sapnap told him, making a blush creep up on Karl’s face.  _ He knows me. _ It made a huge difference knowing that Sapnap knew Karl before even meeting him out on the field. 

“Thanks.” Karl gave him a gleaming smile, to which Sapnap shot him a thumbs up. When they finally arrived at school, Karl was checking up on every little detail. Making sure his shirt was tucked in right, making sure his hair was parted straight enough. He took a deep breath before going to open the car door, but Sapnap beat him to it. From the outside, Sapnap held the door for him, while offering him a hand to take. Karl took it, nodding at his manners. The four walked into a school that now had a different vibe. Karl saw the stares, heard the whispers, and tasted the jealousy. George had a huge smile on his face and Dream chuckled at it. Karl didn’t have time to register before Sapnap tapped his shoulder and bent his head down close to Karl’s ear. Karl didn’t realize his breathing had become shaky, until Sapnap whispered.

“You’re fine. Act like you’re the only person in the room. Ignore them.” And Sapnap was grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the French classroom. 

Everything was already different. Mr. Lamé looked at him differently, and honestly Karl was not in the mood for a flunked out-from-college theater wannabe judging him anymore than everyone else was. Karl noticed everyone looking up to smile at him, which creeped him out. Sapnap sat down next to Karlto which Karl gave him a stare, and Sapnap said,

“This is my seat.”   
“Oh.” was all Karl could say, feeling embarrassed for having never noticed this guy before. Mr. Lamé launched into a lesson, but Karl could barely concentrate. All Karl was focused on was Sapnap. The way he wrote down the notes, the way his head looked up and down from the PowerPoint to his own paper. But sooner than later all Karl’s classes had gone by, and he was doing quite fine. As he walked out of Anatomy, a hand gripped his arm and he was being pulled in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go.

“H-hey! Let go!” Karl shoved the person off. It turned out it was a girl, and a very beautiful one at that. She looked pissed, and Karl didn’t know why he was the recipient of her anger.

“Word of advice. Stay the hell away from Sapnap.” She sneered. Karl gave her a blank stare before breaking out in laughter. She did a double take, but regained her snarky confidence.

“What’s so  _ funny?”  _ She spit out. Karl got himself together.

“You’re the crazy bitch everybody warns about.” Karl stated. Her mouth dropped.

“That wasn’t a funny comment you little prick. I mean it. Stay. Away. From. Him” And she strutted off. Karl actually felt a little bit scared now, and needed to get out of the now seemingly smaller hallway. He was practically running to the cafeteria. By the time he got there, it looked like everyone was at the football/cheer table, so Karl reluctantly moved towards his regular table before hearing Sapnap call for him. He walked over and saw an empty space right between him and George and put himself in between the two. Everyone was introducing themselves and Karl got to meet the whole team. Karl tried to laugh when everyone else laughed, and ate when everyone else did. He copied their movements, because if he didn’t who’s to say it wouldn’t have messed everything up?

-

-

Karl quickly realized that cheer practice was very different from cheer tryouts. Most of the team already knew each other and he didn’t even have time to get to know everybody. Karl discovered that for formations at halftime, he would be a base. George was a flyer and Alex was a spotter. Karl was hoping to get to talk to Alex before practice, but starting right away didn’t make it possible. Already day one, they were practicing throwing people into the air and catching them. Catching them  _ makes or breaks the entire routine _ according to Coach Kristin, and Karl understood why. Half the time of a 2 and a half hour practice, Karl was terrified of dropping George when he went up to do a flip and land back into Karl, Alex, and Eret’s arms. Luckily, Karl was with people he knew- and trusted. Alex was great at what he was doing, and Eret was great at listening and securing George in the catch. By the end, Karl was a sweaty mess, but he needed to talk to Alex. He caught up with him in the locker room.

“Great practice today.” Karl smiled. Alex nodded back.

“Are you mad at me?” Alex looked up, and sighed.

“I’m just confused. I mean, we said we were gonna have each other’s backs going through all of this, and I get to school today and neither of my best friends are there.”   
“Alex I swear I didn’t even know-”   
“Karl. I’m always. Always there for you guys. I needed support from my two best friends walking into a school that already felt so different and you weren’t there.”   
“I’ll do better. I promise.” Karl attacked him in a hug, and hearing Alex’s laughter was enough for Karl to feel just a little less stressed. Even though the first game was 2 weeks away, and they only had that much time to get cheers and performances ready, Karl felt more prepared then he had for more than he’s ever done. As long as he had his friends by his side, nothing could go wrong. 

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for the amount of support. <3  
> also im online for school all next week so chapters should be published more frequently.(might even get a one shot out if you give me any recommended stories you'd like to see :))  
> i cannot even begin to comprehend how this has over 1000 hits but ??? ty?!?  
> lots of love ~L <3


	5. game night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> karl heads to his first football game of the season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dear heart,  
> so there's this guy that you want me to like but i don't want to so can you stop beating so fast when he walks by?

Karl was sweating bullets. It was the first game of the season and football games were A LOT more crowded than Karl expected. People were filling up the huge bleachers, which Karl didn’t even think was possible. He had retired to the locker room, which wasn’t Karl’s brightest idea. It was quiet for about a minute and then came the football players. Karl couldn’t comprehend how it was possible to be so goddamn loud. They all seemed full of energy, and Karl couldn’t help but watch one in particular as he banged his best friend's helmet jokingly, how he gave a wave to Karl before he started walking ove-. Sapnap was walking over. Karl started mentally freaking out. Luckily, he wasn’t in the tight cheer uniform yet so he didn’t have to worry about that. But other than that, he had everything to be worried about.

“Hey, Karl!” Sapnap greeted him with enthusiasm.    
“Hi! Are you ready for the game?” Karl smiled.

“Hell yeah. I think this is really our year.” Sapnap broke into a grin.

“Oh? What changed from last year?” Karl asked.

“You became a cheerleader.” Sapnap said, but this time it wasn’t in his joking manner. He was actually serious. He looked genuine, and Karl couldn’t help but flush red.

“T-thanks.” Karl got out. He was confused. He barely knew Sapnap, barely talked to him, but yet he treated him better than someone like Tommy did. 

“No problem. Anyways after the game I was wond-”    
“SAPNAP! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” Karl looked to see Dream yelling at him, even though they were literally 10 feet away. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Sapnap grumbled. Before Sapnap could fully get away, Karl grabbed his wrist with a new sudden confidence.

“Good luck tonight.” Karl winked.

“You too cutie.” And Sapnap walked to join his other teammates. Karl’s heart was literally jumping in his chest and he had to sit down again to regain his breath.

“Well someone’s turning into quite the flirt.” A voice came from behind and Karl jumped.

“Jesus George! You can’t just come out of nowhere like that!” Karl reprimanded. 

“Oh hush. I am summoned when love sparks.” Karl flipped him off and grabbed his bag and started walking towards the other locker rooms with George. He was midway through pulling his sock on when George interrupted his thoughts.   
“He’s bi, you know.” Karl looked up. He wasn’t going to let George interfere with his life too much so he decided to have a little fun with it.

“Georgie you’re going to have to be more specific.” George threw his shoe at him, and Karl made a show of lying on the ground dramatically.

“Sapnap, you imbecile.”   
“How do you know?”   
“Dream told me.” Karl let out a laugh and George death stared him.   
“What was that?”   
“What was what?” Karl fakes innocence.   
“Don’t act dumb Jacobs.”   
“Oh using last names are we now?” And Karl was on the ground again. George’s body was blocking him from seeing anything else, and he was laughing too much to even function properly. The two were giggling like idiots. Karl was the first to stand up, finally finalizing everything about his uniform. Alex came in soon after, engulfing the two in a hug.

“You guys ready?” he asked, looking as nervous as they were. They nodded. George let out a shaky laugh before saying,

“You better make sure I don’t fall.” Then the 3 rushed out onto the field to meet with the other cheerleaders. Karl found himself envious of the way the uniforms fit other cheerleaders way better than him, and nervously tugged on the fabric. Pompoms were passed out, and Karl was too focused on not dropping them to realize the game was about to start. Karl finally tilted his head up and saw the football players running out on the field. Sapnap caught his gaze and smiled at him, to which Karl gave a slight wave. George was too preoccupied eye flirting with Dream to notice Karl’s own romanti- love-  _ relationship  _ going on at the moment.

“Well, go out there and uh… knock em dead!” Karl punched him on the shoulder.    
“Thanks. You too.” Sapnap went back to the field with the rest of the team as the announcer starting calling out starters. The cheerleaders did a quick starting cheer, which went smoothly. Karl tried watching the game, he really did- but after 5 minutes he was already confused and had to bother Alex every time the whistle would blow. Eventually Karl found out that their team was winning, surprisingly enough. Karl got better as the game went on and all of a sudden everything stopped. Karl thought something had happened, but then Niki put a hand on his shoulder and told him it was halftime. Karl exhaled shakily before getting besides George, Alex, and Eret. As they ran into the center of the field, Karl couldn’t help but look at the faces of the people looking directly at him. There was no hiding in the back of the group now. Karl didn’t even have time to  _ breathe  _ when Niki yelled out,

“One! Two! Three!” The cheerleaders clapped their hands together and Karl’s mind was in immediate focus.

“Ten yards, twenty yards, thirty yards

Go!

Forty yards, fifty yards, sixty yards

Go!

Our Pogs can run

Our Pogs can punt

Our Pogs will cheer

As we do this stunt” Karl positioned himself with Eret and Alex to lift George up and Karl watched as he lifted off from the momentum. The trick lasted a split second but it seemed to go in slow motion as George fell abc towards them. Karl panicked for a minute, before realizing George had landed safely back into their arms. He gave a comforting smile before he was up and they launched into the last part of the cheer.

“Go, Pogs, go!

Go, Pogs, go go go!” And it was over. Screams and cheers erupted from the bleachers and Karl felt his face beam with excitement. Maybe this whole starting something new idea wasn’t such a bad idea afterwards. 

The rest of the game, Karl did his best to follow along better. He noticed their team get tenser as it neared the end. Karl glanced up at the scoreboard to see a closer score. Too close for comfort. Pogs were leading 24-21. Karl overheard Ranboo say something about them needing to tackle before someone reached the 60 yard mark. Karl watched intensely as the snapback went into play. He watched every movement, and he found himself screaming along with the crowds. It all happened so fast. Someone tackled another person and there was a long moment of anticipation as a stack of players lied on the ground. With the blow of the whistle, the crowd went wild, and George was screaming in Karl’s ear, “WE WON! WE FUCKING DID IT!” Karl was being hugged and bumped into, but Karl felt his feet running towards center field where the players were. As soon as he saw Sapnap he broke into a grin and stopped a few feet away from him. 

“That- was. Amazing” Karl breathed out, giggling. Sapnap chuckled at him, giving him a quick thanks before bounding off towards the locker room to change. Karl found himself doing the same thing in a different room, where everything was less chaotic. 

“You’re going to Hutt’s afterwards right?” George asked.   
“Hm?”    
“It’s a team tradition I guess. Go out for pizza after the big game.”

“Why not?” Karl shrugged.

\-----------------------------

Karl had never seen a pizza parlor more crowded. He was currently squeezing his way through people trying to find Alex, or somebody he knew. His claustrophobia was currently kicking him in the face, regretting every decision as he dove deeper into the crowds. Finally, he spotted George, Dream, and Sapnap, and slid into a booth with them. Karl tried to ignore George and Dream playing footsie under the table, but it was 9pm, past Karl’s bedtime, and he was not going to be in a good mood if food was not in his stomach soon. He didn’t notice Alex standing by them before Sapnap cleared his throat and pointed. 

“Oh hey. Oh! I can scoot in a bit.” Karl said when he saw Alex, quickly moving himself to practically be on top of George.

“No. I wouldn’t want to interrupt you guys.” Alex glared, before retiring to sit with Eret, Niki, and Alyssa. Karl sighed, smacking his head down on the table, when George tapped his shoulder. Karl opened an eye, looking expectantly at him. 

“I’m gonna go to the uh- bathroom. Yeah.” George seemed to assure himself. Karl switched spots with him and he noticed Dream doing the same thing with Sapnap. If there was one thing George was not, it was subtle. Karl rolled his eyes before breaking out in laughter with Sapnap, who was staring oddly at the two giggling figures walking away.

“Guess they don’t want the pizza then” He said.

“I guess not.” The pizza finally came, and Karl and Sapnap took no time in devouring the whole thing. They were playing a question game where each of them asked a question, and the other answered completely honestly. Karl was learning more about Sapnap, and he was enjoying it. An hour passed and everyone started to head out.

“I uh, drove here in case you need a ride home.” Karl sighed out in relief.   
“That would be great. George was my ride here, but he’s obviously preoccupied. “ Sapnap giggled softly, and Karl couldn’t help the way it made him feel. Sapnap drove much more safely than George, actually following road laws, and not being an impatient ass when at the wheel. When they finally arrived at Karl’s house, dead air filled the space

“Th-”   
“So-” They both spoke at the same time, letting out a shout of laughter.

"I’ll see you around, yeah?” Sapnap bit his lip.

“Yeah. Most definitely.” Karl breathed out, now hyper aware of every movement he made.

“Okay then.” Before Karl said goodbye, Sapnap leaned over the console and pressed his lips against Karl’s cold cheek. It was as if a butterfly had landed softly and tickled his cheekbone. Karl was left dumbfounded, looking like an absolute idiot, while the reminisce of Sapnap’s kiss still lingered. Karl smiled like a buffoon, before getting out and practically skipping to his house. He gave a final wave to Sapnap before quietly closing the door behind him, and finally getting to rest. But there was only one question on his mind. Only one thing that kept him from sleep. Something that would keep him up for weeks on end. But the answer to it was simple, yet Karl could not seem to comprehend it. A 3 letter answer, but Karl still questioned it every night.

He answered yes every single time he asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the support!! means the world :)))
> 
> im very happy with this chapter considering i literally wrote it in a span of 45 minutes lolll
> 
> feel free to leave suggestions, comments, questions!
> 
> remember to spread joy and kindness everyday.
> 
> see ya on the flippity flip <3 -L


	6. skipping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sapnap brings karl out of his comfort zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // very minor panic attack (not in a lot of detail but it is implied)
> 
> also this took so long to write?? for some reason?? anyways :p
> 
> “life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone” -shannon l alder

Karl didn’t like certain changes that came with being a cheerleader. He felt watched, and had to make an effort to not publicly humiliate himself every single day. When he was hidden, it didn’t matter if he tripped in the middle of the hallway. Nobody noticed. People also gave him weird looks. Sometimes it was like he had known them for years, but other times he felt like they wanted to stab him through the heart. But there were a lot of good changes too. He didn’t have to take the bus anymore, and 2 days out of 5, he would be brought coffee (and handed it by Sapnap). Sapnap too. He noticed them getting closer, and the comfortability levels Karl had achieved with him. Sure, being seen could be scary, but Sapnap was always there to help reel him back into the shadows when he needed to. 

Every morning Karl was used to doing his normal routine and waiting outside for Dream’s white Honda to come into view. So when a red Jeep took its place on one particular Wednesday, Karl couldn’t help but be curious. He was weary until the car windows rolled down, and Sapnap poked his head out.

“Just you and me today, Jacobs!” He yelled from his driver's seat holding up Karl’s coffee and donut. Karl rushed to the car, but was immediately thrown off by the way it looked. When he opened the car it was actually cleaner than Dream’s. But there was a smell that heavily carried the scent of Bath and Body Works perfume. He ignored it, and took his place next to Sapnap. They got to chatting quickly, but about 10 minutes in, Karl noticed they were not anywhere near the school.

“Sapnap-” Karl looked over to where Sapnap was looking smug, taking no concern whatsoever.

“HELP THIS MAN IS KIDNAPPING ME!” Karl banged on the windows and screamed for his life. Sapnap slammed his foot on the brake and grabbed Karl, who was out of breath.

“Jesus! You’re going to get me arrested. Calm down.” Sapnap shushed him, glancing at the outside to see any disturbance.

“What are you doing?” Karl slapped Sapnap’s hands away, “Besides kidnapping me.” He huffed. Sapnap laughed before scooping up Karl’s hands.

“I, Nick Surname, swear to you that I will cause you no harm.” Sapnap raised his right hand. Karl peered at him before resting. 

“Where are we going?”   
“Anywhere you’d like princess.” Sapnap grinned. Karl’s ears flushed red and he stared Sapnap down. 

“Don’t- don’t call me that.” Karl murmured. Sapnap just nodded and continued driving.

“I guess- if we’re not going to school then we can afford to have a big breakfast?” Karl asked, smiling. “But. You’re paying.”   
  
And that’s how Karl found himself sitting across from Sapnap at a booth, devouring pancakes at a Denny’s. He couldn’t help but steal a glance up at Sapnap every so often, watching him tilt his fork up to his lips. How sometimes a little droplet of syrup rested on Sapnap’s lips and his tongue would brush it off quickly. 

“You’re staring.” Sapnap interrupted him. Karl quickly fixed his gaze on his own pancakes, embarrassed of being caught. Karl checked his phone again to see dozens of messages from George, concerned on is well being. He decided it was a story for anothe day and continued on. When they were done, Sapnap had already grabbed his wallet and was handing his card to the waitress when Karl said,

“You know I was joking about that.”   
“I wanted to. Promise.” Sapnap assured him. The two sat smiling at each other before the waitress broke their peaceful silence. 

The two sat in the car, tension rising. Karl fiddled with the seatbelt and Sapnap tapped the steering wheel. 

“Laser tag?” Sapnap finally spoke.

“Wa- huh?” Karl asked.

“I said. Laser tag?” Sapnap spoke, looking directly at Karl. 

“Isn’t it a bit early?”   
“Karl it’s 11 am.” Karl checked his watch and sure enough the 11 was staring back at him.

“Why not?” Karl laughed.

After an hour car ride of Karl singing through the whole HSM soundtrack, they finally arrived at a seemingly well kept laser tag place. Sapnap again paid, leaving Karl feeling guilty. When they finally got assigned teams, Sapnap had to help Karl put his chestpiece on. Karl stiffened as Sapnap worked it through his arms and situated it around his hips. Karl couldn’t tell if Sapnap noticed how much he was shaking, but he prayed he wasn’t. Sapnap gave a reassuring smile before they were inside a dark space. Karl immediately went into terrified mode, basically hiding until Sapnap found him, making Karl curl into a ball and scream.

“Hey-hey hey hey.” Sapnap crouched down beside him. “It’s okay.” Sapnap tilted his head up to look at him.    
“Nobody is going to hurt you, yeah?”    
“Yeah.” Karl sighed. Despite being on two separate teams, Sapnap (for the most part) helped Karl figure out the game and by the next round Karl was actually scoring decent points. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, and Sapnap’s fake death noises when Karl would shoot him with a laser made him gleam. As the game ended, they looked up to see their scores and Karl looked up to se his name first overall. He was glowing and didn’t notice he was being picked up, till he was facing Sapnap in his arms. A splurge of confidence had Karl loop his arms around Sapnap’s nick.

“You did it.” Sapnap said breathless.

“All thanks to you.” Karl smiled. Karl tucked a piece of Sapnap’s hair behind his ear. For the first time, Sapnap looked flustered. Both breaths hitched and Karl finally understood the pull of opposite poles. Their faces seemed to gravitate towards each other without second thought and Karl could feel Sapnap’s breath tickling his nose. The two were snapped back into reality when the person in charge called for everyone to get their stuff off. Karl hopped down awkwardly. But as they walked to leave, Karl couldn’t help but feel that Sapnap’s hand brushing his wasn’t just an accident.

The car ride was mostly silent, with a few words between them. Barely home in time for dinner. Karl hadn’t realized how much time he had spent with Sapnap until he checked the time. 6:17. Sapnap’s hand laid on the center console, and Karl glanced down at it every few minutes. At every red light, Sapnap was looking at Karl and Karl had to avert his gaze away in order not to heat up in the face. But after a certain turn, Karl rubbed his hand on his leg and reached down for Sapnap’s hand. Shyly, his hand rested on top of Sapnap’s who now let out a breath of relief. After what seemed like years,they finally pulled into Karl’s driveway. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Karl spoke.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Sapnap looked at him now.

“For making me do this. Helping me feel  _ free.”  _ Karl breathed. 

“Anything for you.” And Karl looked at him now. Sapnap looked back until he cleared his throat. 

“There’s this uh- Halloween party next week. Everyone’s going as duos. Do you wanna go?”

“With you?”

“Obviously, Jacobs.” Sapnap smiled.

“Why me?” Karl looked at him genuinely.

“Doesn’t today prove why? You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. We haven’t known each other long but I don’t know.. you’re just. Just-“

“What?” 

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect in every way.” Karl gave a small laugh. 

“We both know that’s not true.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” Sapnap argued, holding both of Karl’s hands. 

“I’ll go.” Karl stated.

“What?”

“To the Halloween party. With you.” Sapnap let out a sigh of relief.

“But I have a costume request.” Karl spoke plainly.

“Anything.” Sapnap chuckled. Karl smirked.

“Have you seen the Joker?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty guys for sticking with me!! if u have any like plot line requests pls comment them!! my brain genuinely is so tiny and it takes me like a day to come up with 1/4 of a chapter so :). as always, if u enjoyed let me know!! i love hearing ur feedback! 
> 
> see u on the flippity flip :) -L


	7. trick or treat?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trick or treat? bada bing! AYY WHATS A GUY GOTTA DO TO GET A CANDY SITUATION UP IN HERE AH?
> 
> if u know that reference u have my love <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."

This was a horrible idea. Karl looked at himself in the mirror and noticed every single imperfection that stared right back at him. The fishnets that worked their way up Karl’s legs and hid behind the tight red and blue shorts and squeezed his thighs in an uncomfortable way. The sliver of stomach that poked out from the classic Daddy’s Little Monster shirt that hung right above his belly button. He couldn’t help but notice how the hearts on each eye were not exactly even. How the blue eyeshadow almost looked like a black eye instead of a fashion statement. And his hair. How it looked frayed because of the blue and red hair dye that coated it. But he silently prayed that Sapnap- and everybody else would take pity on him. As he walked outside, he felt neighbors crane their heads in his direction. The scoffs that said, _Can you believe a boy would wear that?_ Even waiting outside Minx’s house, he tapped nervously on the wheel as he remembered the words Sapnap had said the first time he found Karl alone in his car. _The party happening in here or there?_ There was no time but now to make a statement for himself. As he unbuckled the seatbelt, walked up the stairs, and opened the door, he just hoped it was enough. 

With every flash of the lights, Karl remembered the party from so long ago. He found himself waving to people he knew now, and swaying softly to the music. He assumed Sapnap hadn’t gotten there yet, but he was pleasantly surprised when arms came from behind him to capture Karl in a hug. 

“Hi Sapnap.” Karl said.

“Hi there.” he heard from behind him, the breath tickling Karl’s ears. He turned around to see a white painted face and burst into a smile at the sight. Sapnap was wearing the costume. Sure, he looked slightly terrifying, but it was worth it. 

“You actually dressed up.” Karl sighed in relief.

“Course I did. I would never let you down Jacobs.” Sapnap smiled back. Sapnap grabbed his hand and ran to the center of the party where Karl was greeted by George and Dream.

“Karl! Long time no see, bud.” Dream smiled at him and George engulfed him in a hug. He looked from Karl to Sapnap and pulled Karl away before he could protest.    
“You are sly, Karl Jacobs.” George smirked.

“What do you mean?” Karl asked.

“A couple’s costume? You’re in deeeeep.” George sang. Kale slapped him on the head.

“Would you shut up?” Karl whispered, face beet red. George put his hand sup.

“Hey. I’m all for this new you.” George smiled.

“So are you and Dream..?” Karl started.

“Official? Yeah. I haven’t seen you around. I mean we walk in together and whatnot and practice everyday, but besides that- where have you been?”

“Experiencing life.” Karl whistled. 

“With Sapnap.” George grunted.

“With Sapnap.” Karl giggled. 

“I’m happy for you K.” George hugged him again, bringing him back to the boys. Sapnap was still smiling at Karl, and hooked his arm around his waist again, pulling him in close, just in time for Minx to take the stage. Karl couldn’t concentrate. Sapnap’s fingers were delicately running along Karl’s skin and each touch sent a chill down his spine. He had completely zoned out, leaning into Sapnap’s touch until they were being ushered on stage and claps and cheers were being thrown in every direction. 

“Wh-”   
“WE WON!” Sapnap screamed in his ear. Karl looked up to see  _ Best Couple Costume _ sashes hanging from Minx’s arms and Karl helped her put one on him. He was laughing and couldn’t even concentrate on anything but Sapnap’s smile. He was grinning at him and Karl barely had time to register before he felt Sapnap’s lips on his cheek. Sapnap hoisted Karl in the air, and carried him bride style off the stage to Dream and George. George was winking at him, and Dream was trying to contain himself.   
“Dude. You got the white paint all over Karl’s-” he started wheezing, but felt Sapnap’s hand brushing Karl’s hands where paint had smeared.

“It’s fine!” Karl yelled, turning around. 

“So I guess my costume was a great idea.” Karl laughed. Music drowned out what Sapnap had started saying and Karl was dancing like crazy. He was dancing with Sapnap, dancing with George, hell even with Dream at some points. At the end of an hour-long dancing marathon, Karl found himself in the center, but Sapnap was nowhere to be seen. Karl wandered through hallways, opened doors, and finally rounded into the kitchen.    
“Sapnap hey I-'' And then he saw her. Wrapped in Sapnap’s arms was the girl who stopped him in the hallway the day after the cheerleading team list came out. She was looking at him with mock pity, hand wrapped in Sapnap’s hair, messing with the green dye embedded in it.

“Oh.” Was all Karl could say before he was pushing through people to get to the door. It didn’t matter what Sapnap was yelling because Karl had one mission: Get out of the house. Tears stung at Karl’s eyes and Karl blinked rapidly,forcing himself not to cry. He was a boy for God’s sake and boy’s don’t cry- right? Karl whispered a choked back, “Thanks” to Minx before slamming the door behind him. He reached for the keys in his pocket and fumbled for them too long before the door opened again and Sapnap was running out. 

“Karl! Hey! Wait!”   
“Just leave me alone!” Karl yelled back, finally reaching his car key. He was fast at pressing down at the unlock button, but Sapnap was faster. Karl hadn’t got one foot in before Sapnap had grabbed the key and locked the car again.

“Give me that back. Now.” Karl spit out.

“What the hell? Can we talk first?” Sapnap begged. Karl let out a dry laugh.

“Talk about what? How you led me on? How stupid I was for  _ actually  _ believing someone like you could care about someone like me?” Karl laughed, letting a sob rack through his body.

“Am I just one big joke to you? Is that it?” Karl challenged. 

“Karl, that’s not it. At all.” 

“Why can’t you see me?” Karl whispered.

“What?” Sapnap looked at him. Karl turned fully to face him.

“Why can’t you  _ see  _ who I am even when I’m 2 feet in front of you?!” Karl yelled. Sapnap took a sharp inhale of breath and took a step back.

“I-” But instead of finishing, Sapnap’s head drops, not daring to look Karl in the eyes.

“I just don’t understand why you can’t love me the way Dream loves George.” And immediately, everything shifts. Sapnap is stepping forward, grabbing Karl’s arms. He’s looking at Karl like he holds the stars. There’s tears in his eyes, and Karl’s too shocked to protest the hold on his arms.

“I do you idiot. I do.” Sapnap says, and Karl finally exhaled the long breath he’s held in.

“You-you do?” He meekly asks.

“Karl. I don’t watch when George flies up in the air and does some amazing trick that everybody gasps at. I watch  _ you.  _ The way a bead of sweat  _ always _ forms on your bottom lip when you bite it in concentration. The way your eyes follow his every movement so you don’t drop him. The way your arms catch him. The way that you lift a fork to eat your pancakes. The way you get all tough when your shooting lasers at people. And the way you look at me. Like I’m some kind of god actually worthy of your love.” Sapnap moves his hands to cup Karl’s cheek. Karl’s breath comes out as little white puffs of air, while Sapnap’s tickles the tip of his nose. 

“I’ve  _ always  _ seen you, Karl Jacobs.” And there’s no words, no nodding, no sudden movement. Just a crash of lips, a bump of noses, and the clash of teeth. Karl’s head is swimming and he wants to drown in the feeling of Sapnap’s lips pressed against his. How their lips slot perfectly together and just the right amount of pressure is applied. How Karl can taste the cherry lip balm on Sapnap’s lips. When they finally break away, they’re too stunned to move. Wide eyes replaced sunken ones, and swollen lips replaced thin lined frowns. A beat of silence, and stranger enough, laughter. Karl could only focus on Sapnap’s breathing matching with his, and the security Sapnap’s arms had around Karl’s waist. Finally, it could be centuries later when they silently decided to leave each other. After all, a kiss could only lead to so much thinking. But as Karl was reaching for his keys, giving a goodbye kiss to Sapnap, he saw Alex walk out. And with a nod, a smile, and a wink, the two knew everything would be okay. " _Tomorrow"_   
  
And for the first time in a fucking while, Karl felt that everything would be so much better, than just okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this is by far my favorite chapter (yes its because they got together what about it)  
> i hope u guys are enjoying this!   
> thanks for all ur comments it truly means the absolute world to me. <3  
> see u on the flippity flip -L


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